By J. Brock (FINN)
Congressman Thomas Petri, representing Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District is serving his 17th term in the U.S. House of Representatives has been visiting the Falklands since Monday and already he has been to see wildlife on Sea Lion Island, Visited the Schools, Fisheries Department, Oil Department, Agriculture Department and the KEMH. A Chamber of Commerce reception rounded of Thursdays events.
At a press conference in the conference room at the Malvina House Hotel he said the facilities he saw were state of the art and he was impressed with the way islanders have pulled themselves up by the bootstraps. Mr Petri had expected a sleepy backwater but was surprised by the vibrant economy where every person seemed to have three jobs.
Mr Petri is accompanied by Derek Mix, an Analyst in European Affairs at the Congressional Research Service (CRS), Miguel Mendoza, currently serving as Legislative Director for U.S. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (FL), and is based in the Washington, D.C. office. Peter Quilter, the Democratic senior professional staff member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs with responsibility for the Western Hemisphere and Amy English, a Public Affairs Manager at the British Embassy in Washington, managing media outreach, congressional relations and public relations on matters pertaining to the Falkland Islands.
Tom Petri is serving his 17th term in the U.S. House of Representatives. First elected in April 1979, Petri has been returned to office every two years since.
